The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has released its preliminary report on the in-flight separation of a passenger-cabin door from a Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft operated by Triton Aviation Limited during a flight from Abuja to Lagos on October 15, 2026.
In a statement signed by the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Bureau, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., it says the incident involved the aircraft, registered T7-SEI, which was operating as flight DWC052 with nine people on board, including two flight crew members, one cabin crew member and six passengers.
According to the report released on November 11, the incident occurred at approximately 5:19 p.m. local time during the aircraft’s initial climb after take-off from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The flight crew reportedly noticed an abnormal increase in cabin altitude and suspected a pressurisation problem. The captain subsequently instructed the cabin crew to inspect the main cabin door.
However, as the cabin crew approached the passenger-crew door to carry out the inspection, the door opened and detached from the aircraft while it was airborne.
Following the development, the flight crew declared an emergency and contacted Abuja Air Traffic Control for an immediate return to the airport.
The aircraft subsequently landed safely on Runway 22 at approximately 5:34 p.m., with all nine occupants disembarking without injuries. The aircraft, however, sustained substantial damage.
The NSIB said it deployed investigators to the occurrence site immediately after receiving notification of the incident on October 15. The investigation team conducted initial assessments and searched for the detached door, which was later recovered from a cornfield in Gui Village, within the Abuja Municipal Area Council, approximately five miles southwest of the airport.
The Bureau said the preliminary report contains factual information established so far, including initial findings based on available evidence and immediate safety recommendations arising from safety issues identified during the investigation.
However, it stressed that the report does not contain an analysis or conclusions on the cause of the incident or any contributing factors, as investigations are still ongoing.
The NSIB explained that a final report containing the investigation’s analysis, conclusions and further safety recommendations, where necessary, would be published upon completion of the process in accordance with Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Convention on International Civil Aviation.
